Remote user interface for media player

ABSTRACT

A portable media player communicates with a host computer for enabling a user of the player to manage media distribution using the control software of the host computer. The host computer can send a GUI that is displayed on the otherwise “dumb” player, and the user can view the GUI and press a single button to command the control software to download a media title to the player. The host computer can periodically poll the player to determine its status.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 60/407,174, filed Aug. 30, 2002, incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to media player systems.

BACKGROUND

Media players such as digital music players and multimedia players havebeen introduced. Some of these players permit a user to transfer media,under control of a host computer operated by a user, between the playerand the host computer, which might be networked. In this way, mediatitles that are available on the network can be conveniently transferredto the media player.

To manage the above-mentioned operations, control software is executedon the host computer. The control software is operated by a user at thehost computer to present a graphical user interface (GUI) on the hostcomputer, to facilitate, e.g., browsing for media titles and controllingthe transfer of titles to the player.

As recognized by the present invention, the process discussed aboverequires a user to access the host computer, and to know how to operatethe host computer. As further recognized by the present invention, itwould be advantageous to permit the user to manage media transfer usingthe player itself, without requiring the player to have a relativelyexpensive processor capable of executing the operating software.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system for managing media distribution includes a host computer and amedia player that includes a display and at least one input device. Themedia player communicates with the host computer. A software-implementedcontrol module in the host computer renders a user interface (UI) on theplayer, such that a user can manipulate the input device in cooperationwith the UI to manage distribution of media between the host computerand player.

In a preferred embodiment, the user can manipulate the input device tocause the host computer to transfer a media stream to the player. Thepreferred input device may include one or more buttons on the playerand, if desired, a jog dial, and a media stream can be downloaded to theplayer in response to the user depressing the button once and only once,without requiring the user to depress any other buttons. Also, thepreferred player may include at least one light emitting diode (LED) andthe host computer can energize the LED to indicate to the user theavailability of a music title.

In other preferred, non-limiting embodiments, the host computer canperiodically poll the player to determine player status. Preferably, thehost computer polls the player more frequently when the player is in anactive mode than when the player is in an energy-saving mode. The playermay not be able to initiate communication with the host computer.

In another aspect, a method for providing at least one media stream to amedia player includes engaging a data storage disk with a medium deviceto establish an engagement, and detecting the engagement. Using the hostcomputer, an indication of the engagement is caused to be displayed onthe media player. The method also includes manipulating a single buttona single time on the media player to cause a media stream on the disk tobe sent to the media player under control of the host computer.

In still another aspect, a media player includes electronic mediastoring at least one media stream, and means for playing the stream. Adisplay for presenting a user interface (UI) generated by a hostcomputer and transmitted from the host computer to the media player isalso provided.

The details of the present invention, both as to its structure andoperation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the overall logic;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of exemplary non-limiting logic for managingmedia operations using the player, under control of software in the hostcomputer; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of exemplary non-limiting logic that can befollowed to manage media using a player that receives periodic statusrequests from the host processor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a system is shown, generally designated10, that includes a portable media player 12, such as a music player,e.g., a Sony Walkman® or other multimedia player with data storagecapabilities, such as a Sony Memory Stick®, for storing digitallyrecorded songs and the like. The media player 12 also includes a playdevice that reads electronically stored streams on the data storage andtransforms the streams into audible sounds in accordance with mediastream playing principles known in the art, such as those embodied in aSony Walkman®. The media player 12 can be a CD player.

The media player 12 can include a processor 14 and a display 16, such asan LCD display, but unlike a personal computer, the processor 14 doesnot generate a graphics user interface (GUI) on the display 16 whenundertaking the media management operations discussed below. By “GUI” or“UI” is meant the actual graphical elements necessary for control usinga display, as opposed to data elements, such as media titles, that aredisplayed using an underlying GUI. In a less preferred embodiment, nodisplay need be provided, only the below-described LEDs to indicatestatus.

The media player 12 can also include a user input device 18, such as butnot limited to buttons and/or jog dials. In one preferred non-limitingembodiment, the media player 12 includes a housing that can be worn onthe belt of a person and headphones connected by a wire to the housing,with the display 16 and input device 18 (in the form of buttons and jogdial) being attached to the headphone wire, although all the componentsof the player 12 can be mounted on a single housing if desired. Ifdesired, non-graphic indicators such as LEDs 20 (three shown) can beprovided on the belt-worn portion of the player 12 for purposes to beshortly disclosed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 includes a host computer 22 thatcommunicates with the media player 12 via a communication path 24. Thepath 24 can be a wire that uses a universal serial bus (USB) protocol,or a IEEE 1394 protocol, or a RS-232 protocol, or a 802.11 protocol. Or,the path 24 can be a short range wireless path such as Bluetooth,infrared, or other wireless path. The host computer 22 can be a personalcomputer or other computer associated with the user that executes amedia management control module 26 in accordance with the logic below.

FIG. 1 also shows that one or more networked devices 28 can be connectedto the host computer 22 either directly or through the Internet 20. Ifdesired, a networked device 28 can be connected directly to the player12. The networked devices 28 can be, without limitation, CD and DVDplayers that can receive, e.g., CD-ROMs on which music or other sound isrecorded, and other computers. One of the networked devices 28 may be anInternet-accessible or otherwise accessible electronic musicdistribution server.

Now referring to FIG. 2, the overall logic of the present invention canbe seen. Commencing at block 32, communication is established betweenthe host computer 22 and the player 12. In some embodiments the player12 cannot initiate communication, so that the host computer 22 initiatesthe link at block 32.

Moving to block 34, the control software 26 in the host computer 22downloads a GUI to the player 12 for display thereof on the display 16.The GUI can, without limitation, indicate and support operations thatmay be executed by the host computer 22 in response to user input at theplayer 12, as well as provide the necessary control means that enablethe user to issue commands to cause the host computer 22 to execute theoperations.

In any case, the processor 14 of the player 12 need not generate the GUIor even know how it functions. This makes the player 12 very robust, inthat additional functionality can be provided simply by appropriatelyprogramming the host computer 22 without having to modify the relativelysimple and inexpensive player 12.

At block 36, user commands generated by appropriately manipulating theinput device 18 on the player 12 in conjunction with the GUI arereceived by the host computer 22. These commands represent usermanagement desires, e.g., a command to copy a stream from one of thedevices on the network, such as all or part of the content of a CDplayer network device 28, to another, such as the player 12. Thecommands can also indicate updating the player display to allow the userto navigate through the menus. The commands from the player 12 areexecuted by the host computer 22 at block 38.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary one-click copy operation in accordance withthe present invention. Commencing at block 40, a user can engage a disksuch as a CD or DVD with an appropriately configured network device 28.The host computer 22 detects the engagement by, e.g., receiving amessage indicative of the engagement from the network device 28.

At block 42, the host computer renders an indication on the player 12that the disk has been engaged with the network device 28 and thatdigitally recorded streams, such as music or multimedia streams, areavailable for recording into the player 12. A menu showing the availableartists, and/or albums, and/or tracks, can be displayed. Withoutlimitation, the indication can include one or more of the following:energizing the LED 20, displaying the titles of available streams on thedisplay 16, and displaying a message on the display such as “copy disk?”

Moving to block 44, the user manipulates the input device 18 asappropriate to input the desired command(s). In one preferredembodiment, the input device 18 includes a button, and the user simplydepresses the button once and only once to cause the host processor toprovide the player 12 with a copy of the available stream orstreams—i.e., one-click copying. No other user action is required,either at the player 12, host computer 22, or network device 28.Instead, at block 46 the control software of the host computer 22,responsive to the command input at the player 12, executes the command,in this case, by causing a copy of the available stream on the disk thatwas engaged at block 40 to be sent to the player 12.

In another embodiment, the user of the player 12 may scroll through alist of titles presented on the GUI using the jog dial of the inputdevice 18. When the desired title is displayed, the user may depress abutton of the input device 18 to receive a copy of the streamrepresented by the title. Still further, the GUI generated by the hostprocessor 22 may display a list of available artists, with the userselecting one of the artists to cause a second menu or list of songs bythat artist to appear on the display 16 of the player 12, for subsequentselection of a particular song or songs by that artist.

FIG. 4 shows logic that can be executed to copy content to the player12. While the logic is shown in flow chart form with decision diamondsfor convenience of disclosure, it is to be understood that the logicequivalently could be represented by a state diagram or other logicindicating convention.

Commencing at block 48, a command from the host computer 22 is monitoredfor. Decision diamond 50 indicates that the command, when received,might be a command to render the GUI on the display 16 or energize anLED, in which case the logic moves to block 52 to render the GUI and/orenergize the LED. Decision diamond 54, on the other hand, indicates thatthe command may be a status request, in which case the logic moves toblock 56 to communicate the status of the player 12 back to the hostcomputer 22. In one preferred non-limiting embodiment, to conserveenergy the player 12 has an energy saving mode and an active mode. Inthe energy saving mode, the player 12 is quiescent, to conserve energy.When this status is reported to the host computer 22, it issues statuschecks to the player 12 less frequently than it does when the player 12is in the active mode, i.e., is being used to play a media stream. Theuser may exit the energy saving mode at any time by, e.g., depressing abutton on the input device 18.

Block 58 indicates that if the processor 14 determines that a commandhas been received but that it is not from the host computer 22, it mustbe a device-specific command (such as “play track”) that is executedlocally.

While the particular REMOTE USER INTERFACE FOR MEDIA PLAYER as hereinshown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining theabove-described objects of the invention, it is to be understood that itis the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention and isthus representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplatedby the present invention, that the scope of the present invention fullyencompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilledin the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordinglyto be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in whichreference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one andonly one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more”. Allstructural and functional equivalents to the elements of theabove-described preferred embodiment that are known or later come to beknown to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporatedherein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the presentclaims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to addresseach and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, forit to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element,component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, ormethod step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element hereinis to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixthparagraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase“means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited asa “step” instead of an “act”.

What is claimed is:
 1. A media player, comprising: electronic mediastoring at least one media stream; and a display for presenting a userinterface (UI) generated by a host computer and transmitted from thehost computer to the media player, wherein the player includes at leastone light emitting diode (LED) and the host computer energizes the LEDto indicate to the user the availability of a music title at a diskplayer with which the media player communicates so that a copy of themusic title can be sent from the disk player to the media player undercontrol of the host computer.
 2. The media player of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one input device manipulable in cooperation with theUI to manage distribution of media between the host computer and player.3. The media player of claim 2, wherein the input device is manipulableto cause the host computer to transfer at least one media stream to theplayer.
 4. Apparatus comprising: electronic media storing at least onemedia file; and at least one processor configured to access instructionson at least one computer memory to: present on a display a userinterface (UI) generated by a host computer and transmitted from thehost computer to the processor, wherein the host computer causes theprocessor to energize at least one light emitting diode (LED) toindicate to the user the availability of a music title at a disk playerwith which the processor communicates so that a copy of the music titlecan be sent from the disk player to the processor under control of thehost computer.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising at leastone input device manipulable in cooperation with the UI to managedistribution of media between the host computer and a media playerassociated with the processor.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein theinput device is manipulable to cause the host computer to transfer atleast one media stream to the media player.
 7. An apparatus comprising:at least one computer memory that is not a transient signal and thatcomprises instructions executable by at least one processor to: presenton a display a user interface (UI) generated by a host computer andtransmitted from the host computer to the processor, wherein the hostcomputer causes the processor to energize at least one light emittingdiode (LED) to indicate to the user the availability of a music title ata disk player with which the processor communicates so that a copy ofthe music title can be sent from the disk player to the processor undercontrol of the host computer.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, furthercomprising at least one input device manipulable in cooperation with theUI to manage distribution of media between the host computer and a mediaplayer associated with the processor.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8,wherein the input device is manipulable to cause the host computer totransfer at least one media stream to the media player.